'Sharing Christ's love in deed and truth.' Apostle John
Albany Presbyterian Church
Albany Presbyterian Church
We continue our look at some lesser known Psalms that are very applicable to today’s times. Psalm 27 dealt with some key truths for times of uncertainty and Psalm 31 builds on this idea.
Psalm 31 is a Psalm written by David in times where he faced great stress and especially needed God’s strength. We see this clearly at the end of the Psalm in its application in VV. 23-24 “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.” What we see in this Psalm is that even though David is facing great trials he is confident The Lord is with him. One man writes: “In this psalm he is confident God loves him and is protecting him even though he is in deep trouble. David is facing a staggering lists of hardships: combat hidden traps, betrayal, psychological depression, lies, plots against him, etc.” At the heart of the Psalm is how David found inner strength flowing from his faith in God even though he couldn’t see how God would work everything out. This is the kind of inner strength we need especially in times like today. It reminds me of the story of the little boy who was in a house fire. The boy was forced to flee to the roof and his dad stood on the ground below him with his arms outstretched, calling to his son: “Jump! I’ll catch you!” This boy had no choice but to jump to save his life but all the boy could see was flames, smoke and darkness so he was afraid to jump. His dad kept yelling – Jump son – I’ll catch you but the boy yelled back – “I don’t want to dad – I can’t see you”. Finally, his father called back “just jump son. You don’t have to see me because I can see you!” Later in V. 22 David cries out: “I’m cut off from Your sight!” The point was he had felt that God did not see him anymore but the fact was God always saw David even when he felt like he couldn’t see what God was doing. What we’re going to focus on today are some key truths about growing in faith through prayer that we see in Psalm 31. What we see is this: it was through prayer that David’s faith was built and his inner strength to face the trials was secured. The first principle about praying with faith is simple but found in the opening verse: “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.” The application here is to pinpoint the problem prior to prayer. In other words David doesn’t beat around the bush in what he’s dealing with. Of course God already knows before we ask but David clarifies in prayer – “In You, O Lord I take refuge.” David’s real problem was that his enemies were putting him to shame. They were trying to run his reputation through the mud and in those times that was a sign of God’s judgment. David was not perfect but he was walking by faith and he knew he was being treated unfairly. The point is David is clear about the problem and he looks to The Lord to solve it: “Let me never be put to shame – in your righteousness deliver me.” David knows that God knows what is going on and that He is a righteous God who would seek to do what is just even when he can’t see how that is going to happen. Our strength is found through growing in faith in the God who never changes! David prays with faith about his specific situation remembering who God is. The second key is found in VV. 2-5 2 “Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. 3 For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. 5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” The second principle involves personalizing our prayers. What we see is that David seeks God to be what He already is. In other words like that boy whose father said you can’t see me but I can see you – David cries, God I know you’re my rock by faith – I know You’re my fortress by faith even when I can’t see how your working but I’m asking You as my Rock in truth to be my Rock in the reality of what I’m facing right now. I’m praying that what I know in my head would be experienced more and more in my heart! “We need to pray with our hearts what we know in our minds.” Help me to see Your hand in my life through the “flames and smoke” with eyes of faith. Someone wrote: “He asks God to be His fortress because He is His fortress - He asks God to be His refuge because He already is. He commits his life to God because God has already redeemed him.” In other words, our inner strength flows from faith and faith motivates the believer to seek God to work in the real problems we find ourselves in so that we learn who God is more and more. God provides this inner strength through faith and through our prayers. Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13: 1 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Spurgeon said “we learn from this that we may pray to enjoy in experience what we grasp by faith”. James Johnston says “We know many things about God in The Bible – when we pray with faith we ask Him to be those things to us personally.” By faith we can personalize our prayers asking God to be that strength in our specific times of weakness. It can be in the most trying times when we seek God in prayer that we discover His strength in a way that is only possible in those times. Are we doing this now? We pray based on the promises God has made asking God to act based on His Word. Warren Wiersbe wrote: “Our enemies would like to destroy us, but God’s hand protects us!” Later in the Psalm in VV. 15-16 David reminds us: 15 “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. 16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant;” We must be alert so we can pray. As Peter tells us “be sober, vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” The Christian finds His strength in The Lord.
Pastor Ben